Match Reaction - Susie Appleby
By Harry Scott-Munro
23/05/22
‘Relief’ was the word on Head Coach Susie Appleby’s mind as her side kept their cool to secure a date with destiny at Sixways in the Premier15s final, as they secured a pulsating 28-24 victory over Bristol Bears to secure a final with Saracens.
A double from Hope Rogers and another score from Linde van der Velden put their side in command, but Bristol rallied with a double from Hannah West and scores from Phoebe Murray and Keira Bevan to put themselves into the lead with less than five minutes to go, before some late heroics from Jennine Detiveaux sealed her side’s spot in the final.
Speaking at fulltime, Appleby praised the resilience of her side to continue going until the death.
“I think what showed today was that we fought our way to the end. I said to the girls this morning that it was going to take 80 minutes plus to get the win and it did,” beamed a very relieved Head Coach. “It could have taken longer but the resilience that we showed in getting that final try and the fact that we fought and fought and never gave up was crucial. We were fighting for each other and that is what this squad has got.”
It was an incredibly fast start from the Chiefs, as they raced into a 21-0 lead, before the Bears hit back. Whilst Appleby admitted that ‘it wasn’t quite the way we planned it,’ she was left in no doubt that the togetherness of her squad was the reason that they were able to claw victory back from the jaws of defeat.
It was another raucous afternoon in the stands, with over 2,500 in the stands. With the match shown live on BT Sport and BBC iPlayer, this was another huge occasion for the women’s game.
“Another 2,500 through the gates today and out on BT Sport, it’s just unreal. The game is growing at a phenomenal rate of knots. Games like this and pushing into the final, that’s what is going to take this game forward.”
For Appleby, the most important thing now though is to recover and prepare ahead of the final. Saracens have finished top of the table for each of the previous three seasons and whilst Appleby admits that it will be ‘a tough task,’ she was looking forward to an historic occasion at Sixways in the final.
She added: “We will recover from today and be pleased with the result, but we have a lot to work on Saracens, who are an incredible side. They’ve been champions so many times for a reason and have got themselves into another final after a good performance today against Harlequins.
“It will be a tough task, but we know that. We’ll go away and work hard. We’ll have a good look at ourselves over the next 12 days and then hopefully go forward into an historic occasion.”
“We love each other. We have such a good time and really enjoy each other’s company. You have to be like that if you want to get the best out of each other and that’s what we do. That elation that you saw was two years in the making but there’s still another game to go.”
Whilst the unbridled jubilation was there for all to see, Appleby was quick to place her feet firmly on the ground, explaining how she wants her side to deal with the momentum swings within a match better heading into the final.
“We need to handle those momentum swings in games better and not allow them to gain momentum. There were two periods where Bristol was in control of that game, and they did it in the second half as well. That was massive and we need to work out how we can get control like the first 20 minutes and hold onto it. We need to learn how to keep that momentum going, because Sarries are going to be incredibly tough opposition.”
Whilst the try from Detiveaux ultimately secured the victory, Appleby pointed to the relentless period of Exeter defence as a crucial turning point for her side.
“There was a stage where we went through 24 phases of defence. We know we can do that, and we know we can absorb it, but we were putting ourselves in difficult positions. It’s really pleasing to get the result.”